Everyone grills in the warm weather, but if you're looking to do some serious cooking for a group of people, whether it's a huge pot of stew or a whole suckling pig, you'll need something a little bigger. Thankfully, even if you have a small backyard, you can make your own fire pit or earth oven with a little elbow grease, some bricks, and some shovels. It's a project, but the end result is delicious.

The beauty of a fire pit—especially the type that the folks at Food52 walk you through building—is that you can accomodate whole animals in it, multiple pots of delicious stews, chilis, or other goodies, and enough food to feed a large group of friends. You'll need some bricks, a few supplies you can pick up at any hardware store, and some friends with shovels to make the pit reality. Once you've finished digging and lining your pit with bricks (firebricks, specifically), you're ready to put the fire in the fire pit and do some serious earthen cooking, whether you decide to host a backyard Luau and cook a whole pig wrapped in banana leaves, or you bring your friends over for a huge chili cookoff.

Building a fire is one of those things that you might sort of know how to do, but don't really …
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This project may not require a huge backyard or a lot of depth, but you'll definitely want some space where you can dig down a few feet safely, so we and the folks at Food52 suggest you only try this if you're out in the burbs or know the ground you're digging in. If you're looking for a step-by-step, or some tips to cook in that fire pit once you've built it, hit the link below for details and cooking times. Ever dig your own fire pit? Think it's too much effort? Let us know in the comments below.